A Simple Gold Band
by Nerwen Faelvirin
Summary: Ginny keeps having dreams of her wedding day. She anxiously waits for Draco's return from the war, especially since she's pregnant with their child. Will he return safely to her? Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a story that had been circling in my head for a long time and it wants to get out. I've tried writing it out once but it didn't take off. I hope that this will turn out ok.******

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry potter characters****. It belongs to J.K Rowling and her publishers and Warner Bros. Anything you recognize from the books or movies belong to them.******

**A simple gold band******

**Chapter 1******

Ginny smiled at Draco as they stood in front of Dumbledore, exchanging their vows. The wedding was just a simple ceremony that was attended by her mother, Ron and Blaise Zabini, who was Draco's best man. Her family was hesitant to accept that she was marrying a Malfoy but once they saw how much he loved her, they welcomed him. Draco as well as majority of the Slytherins had joined Dumbledore to fight against Voldermort as they didn't believe in his campaign.

Ginny looked radiant in simple white sundress that fell to her knees. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail and a white flower was tucked behind her ear. In front of her, Draco, who was dressed in his finest uniform, look tired but was grinning happily as he placed a simple gold band onto her finger. Passing the bouquet of white roses that she was holding to her mother, Ginny slipped a matching wedding band onto Draco's finger. She lifted her face up and kissed her husband as Dumbledore introduced them for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy.

The sound of a file falling to the floor woke Ginny up from her dream. Sitting up straight in the lounge chair in the staff lounge of St. Mungo's, Ginny rubbed her face with her hands as she gathered her thoughts. It was the third time that week that she dreamt about her wedding. She went over to the wash basin and washed her face to wake her up. She had come into the lounge to rest for a while as she had been standing the whole day, since she started her shift as the on-duty medi-witch.

After wiping her face with a towel, she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat back down, thinking about Draco. She had last seen him three months ago when he, Harry and Ron went to the Ministry HQ for a briefing. The last letter she had received from him was dated a month ago where he mentioned that something big was going down sometime soon. Every night before she slept, she prayed that he would come back safely to her and to their unborn childe that was growing in her. Placing one hand on her still-flat tummy, Ginny grasped the other around her wedding band that she wore on a chain around her neck, she sent out a silent prayer to the Gods for Draco's safe return.

Just as she finished her prayer, an emergency call for all medic-personnel rang out. She tucked the ring safely under her robes and sprinted to the ER along with the rest of her colleagues. When she got there, the room had filled with injured soldiers and more were port keying in every few minutes. She quickly helped the nearest injured soldiers, thoughts about Draco forgotten for a moment.

Patient after patient, Ginny worked non-stop, like an automated robot. Her clean gown was covered with of blood from the previous patient who had a severed arm that was slowly bleeding him to death. Her heart clenched when she saw that her next patient was Ron. His face was covered in blood from his scalp wound and his left arm was broken. She gingerly cleaned the wound and wiped away the blood from his face, trying hard to concentrate and not think about Ron as her brother but as a patient. After cleaning up the wound, healing his broken arm and making sure that he didn't have any other injuries, external or internal; she smiled at her brother and kissed both his cheeks as she fought against tears. As the tears spilled down, Ron wiped away her tears and cupped her face in his hands.

"Hey Ginny-love, why are you crying? I'm still here. I'm not dead yet," he said softly.

"But you could be. I'm so worried about you. About Harry, the Twins. Everybody. I've seen so many people lose their loved ones and I don't want to be them," she said, sobbing into his shoulder. 

"About Draco?" he asked, stroking her hair gently.

"Especially about him! I don't know where he is, I don't know how he is! All I want is for him to come back to me. To us," she cried, resting a hand on her tummy. 

"Ginny-love, I can't tell you his position now or how's he doing but I know that he will return to you safely. Don't worry."

"I hope you're right Ron. I don't want my baby to grow up without a father."

"You're baby will have a father Ginny, as well as many, many uncles to dote on him. Or her," he said softly as he hugged her close. 

"I just miss him so much Ron and I worry about him."

"He's fine Ginny. He will come back to you. Just don't give up hope."

"I won't Ron. Thanks for listening. I love you big brother."

"I love you too little sister."

~ * ~

Over the next few hours, Ginny save some patients and lost others. She'll mourn the loss of the Creevey brothers, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan and the Patil twins in her own time as she still had to do her rounds. Just as she finished her rounds, another alarm went of and she went running back into the ER. Just like before, patients were coming in, in varying degrees of injuries. She felt her heart drop to her feet when she saw Blaise with the injured soldiers. Blaise, Harry and Draco were in the same unit. If Blaise was here injured, where were Harry and Draco?

She pushed all the bad scenarios out of her head as she systematically started to treat the wounded. Her clean hospital gown was soon messy and drenched with blood from her patients. Gregory Goyle had severed his left arm during the battle and the wound was slowly bleeding him to death. Ginny tried her best but it was too late. 

Covering the sheet over Goyle's still body, Ginny moved on to the next patient, who happened to be Blaise Zabini. Blood from the cut above his left eye, covered his face and there was a gash from this left shoulder to his chest that was still bleeding sluggishly. 

"Hi Ginny! It's good to see you. I would hug you but I'm in too much pain and I'm covered I blood," he said softly, giving her a lopsided grin.

"Shut up Blaise. Let me look at that wound," she said.

Ginny gingerly took off the bloody uniform and apologized softly when she heard Blaise hiss with pain. She cleaned the wound and put a stitching charm over it to seal the wound. Once she made sure that he was all right, Ginny helped him lie down and gave him a pain relief potion so that he could rest. As she was about to leave, Blaise grabbed her hand and told her to bring him his uniform. From the breast pocket, he pulled out a brown envelope and gave it to her. It had her name on the front and she immediately recognized the writing. She looked back at Blaise who was trying to fight the effects of the potion, with tears brimming in her eyes.

"He told me to give it to you before I took the portkey here," he managed to mumble out before falling asleep.

"Thanks Blaise," she whispered and kissed his forehead gently. Holding the envelope with shaking hands, she quickly went back to the staff lounge so that she could open it in private.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Simple Gold Band**

Chapter 2

Ginny dropped of all her charts at the nurses' counter and went straight to the staff lounge again. She sat back down into her chair and took the envelope that Blaise had given her, out of her pocket. She stared at the envelope in her shaking hands, with tears were splashing down her cheeks. She turned the envelope over and broke the wax seal with her forefinger. There were several letters in the envelope and slowly unfolded them, when suddenly something dropped out from the letter and landed onto her lap. It was a small golden key and from the looks of it, it was the key to their Gringott's vault. An ominous feeling settled in the pit of her stomach and she started to read the first letter, dated two weeks ago.

_To My Dearest Love, __Virginia__,_

_I'm sorry for being unable to send out letters the past two weeks. We had moved to a new location and no owls allowed. The weather had gotten from bad to worse. The dark clouds that had been gathering steadily for sometime had finally exploded into a torrential downpour. Soaking all of us to the bone and no warming charm could completely get the shivers out. My toes and fingers look like wrinkled raisins and they're always cold._

Ginny stopped reading and smiled, shaking her head gently. _He's such a baby sometimes_, she thought and went back to reading the letter.

_Anyway, the morale of the troops has taken a nosedive since the rain started and Potter is trying his best to keep their spirits up. What ever he's doing seems to be working since there's less grumbling from the men than before. It's cold nights like these that I miss you the most. I miss the warmth of your body when you curl up beside me in front of the fire. I miss the way your tickles my nose when rest your head on my chest as we talked late into the night. I miss you so much. Please remember that I love you with all my heart and I **WILL** return to you safely. Have faith and never give up hope that Potter will kill that bastard. _

_Lovingly yours,_

_Draco_

_P.S     I love you Virginia Malfoy and keep yourself safe._

Ginny had started crying again and she wiped away her tears furiously and took out the next letter, dated a week ago, and started to read. The hustle and bustle of the hospital was lost on her as she concentrated on only her letters.

_Virginia__ My Darling,_

_The week has been hell. There had been two ambushes but fortunately, we didn't lose anyone. A few were injured but they'll make it. After the attack by the giants, I'm so glad that you had declined the field medic post that they had offered you. I don't want you to be anywhere near the dangers out here. St. Mungo's is one of the safest places in England, after Hogwarts that is. I know that the Ministry as well as Dumbledore had strengthened wards around the hospital so I'm confident that they will withstand any attacks by the Deatheaters._

_Even though I know you're safe, I will still worry about you, especially in your condition. Yes, Ginny, I know that we're expecting a baby. One of the twins, George, had stopped by a few days ago and told me the good news. The baby is more than a good reason to come back to you. I hope that the war will end soon. I don't want our children to grow up in a world where Voldermort is still running around and poisoning the world with his evil. Please take care and don't over work yourself._

_Lovingly yours,_

_Draco._

Ginny leaned back and placed a hand on her tummy. She had only found out about the pregnancy a few weeks back and was unable to write him due to the owls ban to all battle camps. Her mother was overjoyed at the news and her parents had tried to make her quite her job as a medic but she refused. She had told them that she needed to keep busy to prevent her from brooding and worrying about Draco's safety, and worry was definitely good for the baby. She smiled as she patted her tummy fondly before going on the last letter that was enclosed, dated three days ago.

_Dearest Ginny,_

_I'm sorry for this horribly short letter. Voldermort seems to have a big event planned and everyone is on high alert.  I'm enclosing our vault key in this letter so that you may have free access to all our vaults. This is just a precaution, in case I don't come back. Please don't cry my love. I just want you and our child to have the best and all the Malfoy inheritance will ensure that. I'll love you until the day I die. Take care of yourself and our child._

_Loving you always,_

_Draco._

"Oh Draco. I don't want your money. I want you. Please come back soon. I love you so much," she said softly to herself, the tears streaming down her face once more.

She refolded the letters and tucked them back into the envelope. Undoing the catch of her chain, she threaded the chain through the hole in the vault key and let it slide down to her wedding ring. She put the chain back on and tucked the key and her ring under her robes. She placed the letters into her locker and went to the washbasin to wash her face once more. When the emergency siren went off again a few minutes later, Ginny sighed and ran down to the ER, tucking all thoughts of Draco and her worry at the back of her mind.

A/N: I know it's a short chapter but please don't forget to red and review. I'll try to update soon. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: To answer some questions: Yes, Ginny and Draco are really married. They got married during one of his leave times. So the wedding sequence really happened. I hope that I cleared it up for you.

**A Simple Gold Band******

Chapter 3

Three weeks after handing the letters to Ginny, Blaise was fit enough to leave the hospital. He had gone back to the Ministry to take the portkey back to his camp. Ginny had seen him off and gone back to work, doing her rounds. Her belly was starting to show signs of her pregnancy and she was gaining a little weight. Early each morning, she would stand in front of the mirror and stare at her reflection, inspecting her growing tummy with both excitement and dread of gaining weight.

Some time during lunch hour, a nurse had called for Ginny informing her that she had a soldier asking for her. Thinking that something bad had happened to one her loved ones at the front line, Ginny dropped everything she was doing and rushed to the nurses' desk. As she rounded the corner to the desk, she saw a very familiar male figure with blond hair glinting in the sunlight. Her heartbeat raced, as she got nearer, she felt her throat choke with tears. When the man looked up, her tears fell freely and she rushed into his opened arms.

"Draco! Draco I can't believe you're here!" she sobbed into his neck.

"Neither can I sweetheart. I'm so happy to see you again," he whispered.

He cupped her face and kissed her gently on the lips, causing her to cry even more. He wiped away her tears and hugged her once more.

"Can you leave early today?" he asked.

"Actually I get off in ten minutes because I have an appointment with the doctor about our baby," she said, patting her tummy fondly. "Would you like to go with me?"

"Of course I would."

Draco waited for her at the waiting area as she went to change into her regular robes. He flipped through some magazines until he saw a picture of a couple, playing with a little boy, in on of the pages. He hoped and prayed that he and Ginny would be as happy as the people in the picture would. He looked up to search for Ginny and smiled when he saw her walking towards him. Hand-in-hand, they went up to the maternity level of the hospital for the check-up.

Upstairs, a bubbly nurse greeted them and told them to wait for a while as the doctor was currently with a patient. Ginny could tell that Draco was nervous from they way his knee was bouncing up and down. She held his hand in hers and asked, "Why are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous," he said. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he hurriedly continued,"Ok, I AM nervous. I don't know why but I just am."

"There's nothing to worry about honey," she said, rubbing his hand gently. Just then, they heard the doctor's office opened and a very pregnant witch left the office. Draco helped Ginny stand up and led her to the doctor's office. When he entered, his jaw dropped when he saw who Ginny's doctor was.

"Pansy Parkinson, I never thought I would se you here," he said, kissing the pretty brunette's cheeks fondly.

"I know. I just couldn't handle seeing all the wounded soldiers, not when Harry's in the frontline. I'm not as strong as Ginny here," she said as she sat back down.

"Has Potter come in to see you yet?" Draco asked after making sure that Ginny was comfortable in her chair.

"Yes he did. He gave me quite a shock too," she said with a dreamy smile on her face. "He's gone back to the flat to sleep. Anyway, enough about my husband. Let's see how Ginny is doing."

After doing the check up and the wizards' version of an ultrasound, Pansy declared that the pregnancy was going well and that Ginny was in the pink of health. She told Ginny not to tire herself out and to keep away from stress. After thanking Pansy, Ginny and Draco went back to their own apartment to catch up and spend time together, alone.

~          *           ~

Time flew by quickly and soon Draco's two weeks leave ended. A tearful Ginny and Pansy went their respective husbands off to the Ministry where they were taking the portkey to their base. 

"Take care of yourself and our baby. I love you always," he whispered to her ear.

"I will Draco. I love you too," she sobbed. He kissed her forehead and hugged her one last time before going into the Ministry building. She could see Harry and Pansy saying their farewells and she realised that Pansy was crying too. After their husbands left, the two women hugged each other crying, already missing the men they love.

Over the next few weeks, Ginny threw herself into work to keep herself from worrying about Draco's safety. It wasn't until she passed out from exhaustion that she realised that what she was doing was harming her health and her baby. Fortunately, Pansy was around when she passed out. Pansy had come down to see if Ginny was free for lunch date when she saw Ginny collapse.

Ginny opened her eyes slowly and found herself lying in a hospital bed and Pansy, who was looking very angry, was scowling at her. "Pansy, what happened? Why am I in bed?" she asked as she struggled to sit up.

"You're very fortunate that I was there when you collapsed to cast a cushioning charm on you. If I wasn't there, you might have hurt yourself and the baby," she said roughly, as she helped Ginny sit up.

"I fell?" Ginny gasped, turning paler than she already was.

"You passed out you silly woman. You work yourself too hard when I specifically told you NOT to stress yourself. I know you're as worried about Draco as I am about Harry but you shouldn't push yourself too hard. Draco would never forgive me if something happened to you. I'm going to prescribe to you bed rest for the rest of your pregnancy."

"But Pansy-"

"No buts. You're going to stay at the Burrow and I'm going to make sure that you're getting enough rest. I'm sure that Molly would agree with me," Pansy said, giving her a smug look and crossing her arms on her chest. Knowing that she would never win the argument Ginny just nodded and sighed.

The following day, Ginny found herself back in her room in the Burrow. She was glad that she wasn't the only one who was staying with her parents at the Burrow. All her brothers' wives and children were also there. Bill's wife, Andrea and Charlie's wife, Sandy were in the kitchen helping Molly out with lunch while Penelope, Percy's wife was teaching Bill and Charlie's children to read. Angelina and Katie, who were married to Fred and George respectively, were hanging out the laundry at the backyard. Hermione, Ron's wife was at the Daily Prophet where she was working as a journalist and was coming back for lunch. Only Bill, Charlie and now Ginny were the only Weasley children who had or were going to have kids, as the rest of them didn't think that it was a safe time to bring children into the world. 

Ginny heard her mother call for her from the kitchen so she got up from her bed and headed down stairs. She entered the kitchen and saw that Andrea, Sandy, Angelina and Katie were already in the kitchen peeling beans and talking.

"How are you feeling dear?" Molly asked pushing a glass of milk towards Ginny.

"I feel better now," Ginny answered. Taking a sip of her milk, Ginny thought that her brothers had chosen their wives well. They women they married were intelligent, loving women with strong characters. Strangely enough, they somehow remind Ginny of her mother. Shrugging her shoulders, Ginny went back to her milk.

Just then, they heard the fireplace roar to life and someone rushing out of it. Ginny and the rest looked rushed out of the kitchen and found Pansy kneeling in the leaving room. Her tear streaked face and her bloodshot eyes worried Ginny very much.

"Pansy what's wrong? Tell me what's wrong," Ginny said as she knelt down beside her.

"Ginny I'm scared."

"Why?"

"Because I'm pregnant!" she wailed. "We were so careful. We didn't want to have any kids during this unsettling times but I'm still pregnant."

"Hush now child. Let us get you into the kitchen and calm you down. All that stress isn't good for the baby," Molly said, looking pointedly at Ginny.

After drinking three cups of camomile tea and a glass of milk, Pansy calmed down sufficiently to tell them her story. She had been having her suspicions for some time but only took the test this morning. Being a healer that specialises in the pregnancy, she was certain about her condition but to actually see the test coming back positive freaked her out.

"Pansy, I want you to stay at the Burrow with us," Molly said.

"Thank you for the offer but –"

"No buts. You're not staying at your apartment alone. What if something happens? At least by staying here, not only can you make sure that Ginny is following your orders for lots of rest; we can take care of each other. Weasley women always stick together."

"But I'm not a Weasley," she said quietly.

"Harry is like a son to me so that makes him almost as good as being a Weasley. So that makes you one of us," said Molly.

"Thank you," Pansy said, bursting into tears once more.

A few more weeks passed and nothing major was happening on the war front. The Burrow filled with people made Molly very happy. Especially since, she had her grandchildren to play with and two more on the way. As the wards around the Burrow were strong, Molly allowed her grandchildren to play in the back garden so that she could keep an eye on them from the kitchen. 

The plate that she was washing suddenly slipped out of her hands and fell to the floor, breaking into pieces. As she was picking up the pieces, she accidentally cut her palm on one of the glass pieces. Seeing the blood dripping onto the floor, an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach.  She quickly called her grandchildren in and locked the doors. She then made sure that her daughters were all accounted before going back into the kitchen and started making tea. 

Sensing Molly's unease, the Weasley women gathered in the leaving room minding the children and waited quietly. They were drinking their tea when the floo network flared up and Harry stepped out. His face was a myriad of scratches and his uniform was bloody.

"Harry!" Pansy said rushing to her husband.

"I'm fine Pansy, where's Ginny?" he asked hurriedly, holding something tightly in his fist.

"I'm here Harry. What's wrong? What happened?" she asked, dreading his answer.

Harry looked at her sadly and opened his palm to her. On his hand lay a simple gold band, which Ginny immediately recognised as Draco's wedding ring.

Ginny picked the ring up with trembling hands and her knees gave way. She let out and animal-like howl.

"NO!" she screamed. Her whole body racked with sobs, hear tears raging like a river. She looked up and saw Harry's worried face before all the lights went out and the world turned black.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Simple Gold Band**

Chapter 4

Molly came down the stairs and heard Pansy and Harry's voices coming form the kitchen. The couple looked up as Molly walked into the room. Pansy stood in front of a shirtless Harry, cleaning the blood off his face and body, and patching up his wounds. She smeared some salve onto the cuts on Harry's forehead and stood back to see if she missed anything. Satisfied with she had cleaned and covered all his wounds, she brought the basin of dirty water to the sink and cleaned her hands. After doing that, she poured Molly a cup of tea and sat down beside Harry, holding his hand, never wanting to let go.

"How is she?" Pansy asked.

"She's still unconscious but she still has his ring in a death grip," Molly sighed. "I don't know how she's going to react when she wakes up. What really happened Harry?"

Harry sighed and proceeded to tell them the events that led up to his arrival at the Burrow.

_A shrill shriek that pierced the silence of the cold night ended abruptly as the dragon claw crushed the poor soldier's head. His death cry alerted the rest of the on-duty troops of the sudden attack. They raised the alarm, waking everyone in the base camp. Harry and Draco rushed out of their tents with wand and sword in hand, just in time to see a dragon swooping down and breathing fire over a segment of the camp. Flame-covered soldiers ran screaming from the burning tents as they rolled on the ground to put themselves out. Harry and Draco quickly ran over to the battlefield, firing curses rapidly._

_"Those bastards have dragon riders!" shouted Draco to Harry as he dodged a slicing curse. Draco brought his sword up and embedded it into the Deatheater's throat. The Deatheater's hood fell back and revealed a sandy haired boy of only seventeen. The boy gurgled as blood started to pour fro his mouth and he fell back, his eyes lifeless. Draco pulled his sword out from the dead boy and ran towards Harry, who was deflecting curses with his own sword. Draco arrived just in time to see Harry swinging the sword towards the Deatheater, slicing his head cleanly off his shoulders._

_"We've got to tell the Ministry and Dumbledore about the dragon riders. They might tilt the scales over to Voldermort's side," Harry said as they jogged over to another group of soldiers who were fighting off Deatheaters. Both men entered the foray with wands firing and swords swinging. The runic incantations on the blade of the swords glowed red every time a curse flew towards them. From the corner of his eye, Draco saw more Deatheaters coming towards them._

_"Potter! We have to pull back! We're being out numbered. Send out the signal out to pull back!" He shouted towards Harry. He saw Harry nod and lifted his wand up to the sky. A gold flash flew into the sky and exploded into a phoenix that circled the sky before break down into a shower of sparkles. All the injured and uninjured Ministry troops activated their portkeys and transported out._

_As they were running, Draco saw Harry patting his pockets repeatedly. "What's wrong?" he asked._

_"I lost my portkey. I can't find it," said Harry. _

_"Here, share mine," Draco said slipping his wedding band from his finger. Both men ran into a wooded area, hoping to lose the Deatheaters who were chasing them. Draco held out the other end of the ring towards Harry. Once Harry held on to the ring, Draco activated the portkey._

Three…..two…..

_Just then, Draco collapsed from a hex, flung his way but the Deatheaters, and let go of his side of the ring. Before Harry, who was still holding onto the ring, could help him up, the portkey activated, transporting him out. Harry landed in the Ministry portkeying area, still holding the ring tightly in his hand and the first thought that came to his mind was, _how am I going to tell Ginny?

"It can't be true," came a rasped whisper from the door. The three inhabitants of the kitchen turned and found Ginny leaning against the doorframe, looking very pale.

"Ginny, you shouldn't be up," Molly said concern, helping her into a chair.

"Mama, I can't believe he's gone because I would know if he's dead. It would be like extinguishing a light in my heart. I just can't believe it," she said, her body racking with sobs.

"Oh honey," Molly said, hugging her crying daughter closely.

~          *           ~

In a secret underground location, Draco groaned and opened his eyes. A sudden wave of nausea hit him causing him to roll onto his side and throw up. Draco slowly sat up and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his uniform before taking in his surroundings. He found himself in a dark, dank cell. The air was stale and humid, there was glowing moss growing on the walls. He heard water dripping from somewhere around him, making him realise how thirsty he was. He stood up unsteadily, bracing himself against the wall and tried to discern the direction of the water. He stumbled over the loose stones on the floor and landed on his knees in a puddle of water. He felt the water dripping onto his head rather rapidly. Tilting his face up, he let the water land onto his forehead, savouring the coolness of it as it trailed down his face. 

Draco drank as much water droplets as he could as he tried to remember how he had arrived to where he was. While he was rubbing his face, he realised that his wedding band was gone and everything came rushing back to him, the attack, the retreat and the portkey. _Ginny, please don't give up hope on me_, he thought. He patted himself and wasn't surprised that he couldn't find his wand

The door opened suddenly, washing the cell with blinding white light. Draco had his hand up to shield his eyes that he didn't see two people coming in. Someone placed a full-body bind on him and covered his head with a bag. They floated out of the room. He tried to keep track of the turns but lost count after the twelfth left turn. After ten minutes or so, they stopped. They lifted the curse and ripped the bag of his head.

The light blinded Draco momentarily but when he could see again, he found himself kneeling, with his hands and feet bound, in a large room with a throne-like seat on top of a raised platform. Voldermort sat in the throne and to his right stood Lucius, who was smirking away.

"I present my _son_ to you my Lord," Lucius said, bowing low to his master.

"Young Malfoy, you disappointed me by not joining my ranks. Not only that, you convinced most of your friends to follow you and join Dumbledore," the Dark Lord said, spitting out Dumbledore's name as he stood up and walked towards Draco.

"Yes well, it doesn't really make sense to follow a crazed half-Muggle –" Draco started but Voldermort interrupted him with a curse.

"_Crucio_!" Voldermort screamed at him. "You insolent brat," he continued, breathing heavily. 

Draco fell to his side, twitching slightly in pain but refused to scream, biting his lip until he drew blood. He felt like his entire body was tearing to pieces, but it ended just as quickly as it started. He panted slightly and spit out some blood.

"That will teach to mind your manners in the presence of your betters," Voldermort said, his lips curling in a smile.

"Betters? All I see are a mad man and fools," Draco rasped. Another _Crucius Curse_ hit him, knocking his breath out and making him see spots in his vision

"Take him back to his cell. We'll question him later," Lucius said when he saw that Voldermort might just lose his temper, and kill the only person who can tell him, where the Headquarters of the Order of The Phoenix was.

The two guards who brought Draco to the chamber put the bag over his head again and physically dragged him back to his cell. Draco regained enough consciousness to realise that they had arrived back at his cell. He heard the door open and thrown into the cell, landing on his side hard. _Ginny, I love you and I hope you're safe. I WILL get back to you and our baby_, was the last thought he had before succumbing to the darkness.

Back in the Burrow, Ginny shot up from bed and threw the covers aside. She sat on the chair by the window, looking out into the night sky at scattered stars and the brightly shining moon. _Draco, I know you're alive somewhere out there. Please come back to us safely_, she thought as she rubbed her rounding tummy.

~          *           ~

Three months passed and everyone except Ginny had given up hope on finding Draco alive. She sat by the fire every night hoping that he would come home. She had both hers and Draco's ring on the chain around her neck and she refused to take it off. Pansy would sit with her some nights and keep her company while reading pregnancy books. Pansy had finally accepted that she was going to have a baby and had settled into the role of the expectant mother very well. Under Molly Weasley's guidance, Pansy had taken up knitting and was always busy knitting away booties and mittens for both her baby and Ginny's when she wasn't at work.

One night as Ginny was sitting by the fire, reading a magazine, her mother sat down next to her with a look of concern on her face. "Honey, it's been months since we lost him. It's not healthy for you and the baby to be pining for him. Especially since I know, you don't go to bed until late. I'm worried about you Ginny," Molly said, stroking her daughter's hair.

"There's nothing to be worried about Mama. I'm fine," Ginny said.

"But Ginny, Draco –"

"Mama, I know it in here, that he's not dead," Ginny said, placing her hand over her heart, the two wedding bands in her fist. "It's just like you know when Dad is in danger or when he's sick. I just know it Mama."

Molly sighed. She understood what Ginny meant. She had the same connection with Arthur too. "Just don't stay up too late dear. I worry about you."

"I know Mama. Good night."

"Good night."

Once her mother had gone upstairs, Ginny moved to the window and looked up to the sky. _Come home quick Draco, I miss you_, she said silently, watching the stars twinkle.

~

In the underground lair of the Deatheaters, Draco sat in the cell with his back against the wall. His hair was matted and dirty, and his beard was making his face itch. He sat quietly, listening to the guards outside his cell talking about Voldermort's latest plan.

"The Dark Lord's latest plan would be fun," said one to the other.

"Yes. Striking them exactly where it will hurt most."

"It will be an easy kill especially since all of them are injured or incapacitated."

"I can't wait for the attack on St. Mungo's."

"When is it again?"

"In four weeks."

"It's going to be fun."

The two guards laughed with anticipation, not caring that their prisoner heard every single word they said.

_They're going to attack St. Mungo's! I need to get out of here. I need to warn the Ministry. I need to get to Ginny_, Draco thought. Draco leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to map out the place in his head. He had an escape to plan.

_A/N: Another chapter updated. Ginny would be about 7 months pregnant about the time Draco heard about the plans to attack the hospital. Please read and review, and tell me what you think of the chapter._


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter of the story. One of the reviews I received mentioned that the story was a bit sexist for making the women stay at home while the men went to war. I didn't mean for it that way. When I wrote the chapter, I had always like having all the Weasley women together to give each other support. I'm sorry if that sounds sexist. Anyway, read this chapter and tell me what you think about it. I really love hearing from you. I've gotten addicted to reviews so please help me out and drop me a review. 

**A Simple Gold Band**

Chapter 5

Draco sat with his back gingerly against the wall of his cell as the cuts and welts on his body, have yet to heal fully. He rubbed his scab and scar covered wrists, remembering his last torture session with a smile on his face.

~

_"You are worthless, not fit to be called a Malfoy. You disgrace the Malfoy name by joining up with the old fool, Dumbledore. Not only that, you got yourself married to that filthy, Muggle-loving whore of a Weasley," Lucius sneered at Draco._

_"She's not a whore! She's a better person than you could ever imagine being!" Draco shouted at his father, fighting against the manacles that were preventing him from killing his father on the spot for slandering his wife. The blood from his wrists trickled down his hands, dripping off his elbows. "You're the one who disgraced the family by joining with that mad man!"_

_Lucius backhanded Draco, causing his face to snap back. His lips split and blood smeared his chin. "You're weak, just like your stupid bitch of a mother. She was nothing like Bella, strong, beautiful with an evil streak," Lucius said, giving the leather-clad, beautiful woman who was leaning casually against the wall, a loving sneer._

_"You bastard," Draco whispered harshly. "You killed her just because she wouldn't join your cause."_

_"She was a liability, an inconvenience," Lucius shrugged, cracking his whip against Draco's body repeatedly._

_Draco hissed with pain, his skin feeling like it was on fire. The torture was nothing worse than those he received when he was still a boy. Draco took a deep breath to ignore the pain and slick feeling of blood travelling down his body. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing to stop himself from feeling the pain._

_"I heard that your whore is with child. I'm going to enjoy finding out what makes her so special to make you turn your back on your family. Then I will immensely enjoy killing her," he heard Lucius whispered to him._

_Draco's eyes snapped open and saw that he was face to face with his father_**. How dare he hurt her? He will pay for that**_, Draco thought. He raised his leg and kneed Lucius in the groin causing him to gasp and double over, holding onto his family jewels. Draco took the opportunity to head-butt him, knocking him out cold. _**Everyone said I had a hard head. I guess it came in handy after all**_, he thought. Draco smirked at the prone body of Lucius and spit on him. He only saw Bella move from her spot against the wall before everything went black._

_~_

Draco smirked and rubbed his wrists gently. As he thought about his unconscious father again, his cell guards' words filtered through his mind.

"……attack tonight…….maternity ward at St. Mungo's……. get Potter's wife…."

_They're going to attack the hospital tonight and their going to use Pansy as a bargaining chip with Potter_, he thought. _I have to get out of here and warn them. Thank Merlin Ginny's not due for another four weeks, so she wouldn't be caught in the middle of the attack._

Draco held his sharpened spoon so tightly that his knuckles turned white, as he listened to their plans in graphic detail. _I need to get out of here tonight. I need to warn Potter that Pansy's in danger_, he thought. Still gripping the spoon tightly, he began formulating an escape plan.

~          *           ~

At the Burrow, Ginny entered her room that she was sharing with Pansy and found Pansy dressing up for work. At four months pregnant, Pansy still looked svelte with barely a bump on her tummy. Compared to her, Ginny, who was eight months pregnant, looked like a beached whale.

"Where you going, all dressed up? I thought you're on leave today," Ginny asked, sitting down on her bed.

"I'm going into the office for a while. I have a few things that I need to finish up then I'll come straight home. What are you up to today?" said Pansy.

"Nothing much really. Mum's keeping such a close eye on me as if I'm going to give birth any minute. It's so infuriating."

"She's just worried about you. You're her only daughter and she doesn't want anything to happen to you."

"I know that but it gets a trifle stifling at times." Ginny sat quietly as she watched Pansy put the finishing touches to her make up. As Pansy gathered her briefcase to leave, an idea formed in Ginny's head.

"Hey Pansy, do you think I can go with you to the hospital? I'm tired of being cooped up in here."

"I don't know Ginny. Molly might not like it."

"Come on Pansy. I need a reprieve from her constant mothering. We'll take Hermione with us. I'm sure she could use the break." 

"But Ginny –"

"Please Pansy. Please, please, please," Ginny pleaded, giving Pansy her patented feel-sorry-for-me look.

"Fine, fine. Tell Molly and Hermione before we leave. I'll meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes and don't be late," Pansy said, giving in.

Ginny clapped her hands in glee and hugged Pansy before bounding off to find her mother and Hermione. Fifteen minutes later, Ginny, Hermione and Pansy were dressed up and standing in front of the fireplace, ready to floo to the hospital. Molly stood by, watching them with a worried look on her face and wringing her hands nervously.

"Mum, don't worry about us alright? Nothing's going to happen so don't worry," Ginny said, giving her mother a hug.

"Just make sure you watch each other's back. Hermione, you keep them safe you hear?" Molly said as she hugged each of the women tightly.

"Don't worry Molly, I will," Hermione said, putting on her jacket. After hugging Hermione, Pansy and Ginny again, Molly let the women floo to the hospital. _Please keep them safe_, Molly sent out a prayer as they disappeared through the floo network.  

At St. Mungo's Hermione, Pansy and Ginny stepped out of the visitors' fireplace with ease. They brushed off the soot that clung to their clothes and brushed the dust off their hair. Hermione and Ginny followed Pansy to her office and settled themselves down at the visitors' lounge while they waited for Pansy to finish her paper work. After a while, Ginny got tired of sitting around and reading backdated issues of magazines. She got up and waddled to the nursery to look at the newborns. She smiled to herself as she looked at each tiny bundle, wrapped in soft blankets.

"They're so beautiful aren't they?" Hermione asked, standing beside Ginny with her palms on the glass.

"Yes they are. I can't wait for this one to arrive," Ginny said, patting her tummy gently. "I'm sure he's going to look just like Draco. Draco would be so happy when he comes back."

"Ginny, Draco's –"

"Don't say it Hermione. He's not dead; I know he'll come back to me. Just wait and see."

Hermione sighed and turned to look at the babies again. No matter what Hermione or the rest of the family said, Ginny would adamantly say that Draco was alive. In the end, everyone stopped trying to convince her that Draco was dead and let her wait for him by the fireplace_. I can't wait for the war to be over so that I can have some of my own_, Hermione thought. _I would love to have as many as I can_.

"Makes you want to have a whole brood doesn't it," Ginny said softly.

Hermione sighed and said, "It sure does." They stood there for a few more minutes before turning back to Pansy's office to see if she was done.  As they were walking down the hallway, they heard an explosion and the emergency alarm went off. 

"We've got to get to Pansy," Ginny said as she walked as fast as she could to Pansy's office. They nearly bumped into Pansy who was coming out of the washroom. Pansy quickly pulled them into a nearby storage room and closed the door with her wand drawn. She opened the door a tiny crack and saw the masked Deatheaters going into her office.

"Where is Potter's woman?" they heard him say. "Spread out on the floor and search. Kill everyone." The statement was done with such glee that it made the women's blood boil.

"The patients! They're going to kill them!" Hermione exclaimed, trying to open the door and stop them.

"Hermione stop. They can't get to the patients. There are wards protecting the patients, especially the babies. They placed them in the hospital after Voldermort's resurrection. Dumbledore knew that St Mungo's would eventually be a target so he made the Ministry put wards to protect the patients," Ginny said, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder. 

"But –"

"They didn't let it be common knowledge as they didn't want the Deatheaters to find out about it and figure out a way to counteract the protection. Just look," Pansy said, pointing to a Deatheater who was trying to get into the nursery. Evidently, the Deatheater wasn't very smart as he kept trying to walk through the invisible barrier, making him bounce back every time he tried. Hermione sighed with relief and leaned back against the wall. She suddenly looked up at Pansy with a very worried look.

"Pansy, they're looking for you. They're going to use you to get to Harry," Hermione whispered.

"I know. Harry warned me the last time I saw him. He said that Voldermort had something up his sleeve and that everyone close to him was to be careful," Pansy replied, rubbing her face gently.

"We need to inform the Ministry about this. Where's the nearest fireplace?" Ginny asked.

"It's in the lounge but that's at the other end of the corridor. We won't be able to make it, they might see us," Pansy said.

"We don't have a choice. I don't know how long the wards are going to hold," Ginny said. Outside, they heard curses and hexes thrown at the invisible barrier as the Deatheaters tried to get into the rooms.

"Ok then, both of you stay here. I'll go," Hermione said.

"No, we all go together. We'll watch your back for you," Ginny said.

"Damn it Ginny! Both of you are pregnant and if anything happens to either of you, I'm dead. I don't want to risk both of you so no more arguments. I'm going and both of you are staying here," Hermione said, with a no-nonsense tone and her arms folded across her chest.

Seeing the stubborn look on her face, both women nodded and wished her luck. They helped Hermione cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and kept a look out for her as she got out of the storage room.  Using Pansy's compact mirror, they watched Hermione's outline walk slowly down the corridor and disappear around the corner. 

The fifteen minutes that Hermione was gone felt like forever for Ginny and Pansy. They placed a few blankets on the cold floor and sat down with their backs against the wall. Ginny rubbed her tummy and sent out a silent prayer that Hermione was safe. Pansy was nervously picking at the edge of the blanket. Both women jumped slightly when they heard the coded knock that the three women had agreed.

"It's Hermione," Pansy whispered as she stood up to open the door. She opened the door just wide enough for Hermione to enter. Once she was safely in the room, she dropped the charm and hugged Ginny and Pansy in relief.

"I've informed the Ministry. It seems that they had found our about the Deatheater invasion earlier and was gathering troops for the counterattack," she informed them. 

"That's good. I hope they hurry," Pansy said. "Did we lock the door? I can't remember."

Her question was soon answered when a Deatheater rushed in and closed the door before performing a silencing charm and locking the door. The three women were too shocked to react so they didn't offer any resistance when the Deatheater summoned their wands to him. 

"Shhh… I'm here to help," he whispered as he took off his mask. 

The women too one look at him and gasped collectively. All the blood drained from Hermione and Pansy's face while tears trickled down Ginny's face. She threw herself into his arms and whispered, "Draco."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Another update for all of you. Sorry for not updateing sooner as I had a writer's block. I hope you like this chapter. To comment on one of the reviews, I don't write strictly according to the canon. I only use it as base reference and I think the reason for having fan fiction is for us to use our imagination and put our own take of the books/movies/whatever into a story. I'm sorry if you find my pairings ridiculous. I'm sure there are other stories out that more for your tastes. Thanks for taking the time to read and review my story.

**A Simple Gold Band**

Chapter 6

"Oh Draco, what did they do to you?" Ginny whispered as she cleaned the wounds on his back. Fortunately, the storage room had all sorts of healing potions and other things like blankets and surgical scrubs.

"Nothing really, just the normal torture sessions that my _father_ likes so much," Draco said, spitting out the word father. Draco sat on the blanket, wearing blue surgical pants as Ginny treated his wounds as he told them about his escape from Voldermort's dungeon.

_The guard heard a gagging noise coming from inside Draco's cell. They opened the small opening on the door and peered in. They saw that Draco was clutching his throat and gasping for air. Not wanting to have an important prisoner to die on their watch, the guard opened the door to check out what was happening. As he got closer to the gasping prisoner, Draco suddenly lashed out with his legs, kicking the guard off his feet. Once the guard was down, Draco used the sharpened end of the spoon and plunged it into the guard's jugular, killing him almost instantly._

_After making sure that guard was dead, Draco quickly put on the Death Eater robes. Using the guard's wand, he put a glamour charm on the dead man so that he would look like Draco. Draco then locked the cell door and went in search for the portkey station. With the hood over his face and hanging his head low, none of the other Death Eater that he passed stopped him or asked any questions. Finally, at a junction of the tunnel, a few Death Eaters rushed past him and he caught snippets of their conversation._

_"…..portkey…… already late….don't want the Lord to be angry….."_

_Draco followed them closely behind them as they led him to the portkeying station. They finally stopped in a cavern where the Death Eaters had gathered. Up on a podium, Voldermort stood surveying his followers. He raised his hands and all the chatter ceased instantly. As Voldermort started his speech, Draco tuned it out as he looked at all the Death Eaters, taking note of who was present. He saw Lucius standing next to Voldermort up on the podium and fresh surge of hatred and anger coursed through him. The cheers of the Death Eaters around him snapped him back to the situation at hand. _

_The Death Eaters separated into three groups, each attacking a different target: Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic and St Mungo's. The three-prong attack was to spread out the Ministry army, making them weaker and easier to defeat. _Divide and conquer, that's smart. Lucius must be behind this plan of attack_, Draco thought. Draco joined the St Mungo's group and noticed that Lucius was leading the group. Lucius held out a large piece of log for everyone in the group to touch. Due to the number of people gathered together to touch the portkey, Draco had to stand beside Lucius and it took all of his will power not to kill is _father_ on the spot. Within seconds of touching the portkey, Draco felt the familiar tug at his navel and found himself in the hospital. The group of Death Eaters spread out through out the hospital in search for Pansy. Using the stolen wand, Draco took the Death Eaters, one by one, stupefying, binding them with what ever was available and hiding them where the rest of the Death Eaters could find them. He had taken out about half of the group when Draco reached the maternity level. There were still twenty more Death Eaters to go, one of them being his _father_._

_Draco was going to Pansy's office when he saw the door to a storage room open and a close. He didn't think anything about it until he noticed a flickering outline moving slowly from the door to the end of the corridor. Draco followed the moving form quietly and saw that it entered the lounge area. Draco peeped in and saw the charm removed to reveal Hermione. He heard her floo the Ministry requesting emergency help. He quickly rushed to hide around a corner while he waited for her to come out. The door opened and the same flickering outline that he had identified as Hermione exited the lounge. Draco followed her to the storage room, placed his ear against the closed door, and heard her talking. _Pansy and Ginny are here? What's Ginny doing here?****_He entered the room and quickly performed a silencing charm and a locking spell on the door. Not wanting the women to hex him, he summoned their wands to him before revealing himself. _

_He pulled back the hood and saw them gasp with surprise. Both Pansy and Hermione looked like they'd just seen a ghost. He knew he looked a mess with unkempt hair and a dirty, matted beard but he hoped that Ginny would still recognise him. He saw a flicker of recognition in her eyes before she flung herself at him._

"If they're planning a three-prong attack, the Ministry army will be stretched thin!" Pansy said.

"I know but there's nothing we can do. They might not be able to come as soon as they said," Draco sighed as he put on the blue surgical top. He wrapped his arms around Ginny and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. He missed her so much and he was worried about her. The hospital was under attack and his very pregnant wife was hiding in the storage room. He needed to think up of a plan to get all of them out. He turned to Pansy and looked at her closely.

"Pansy, you look different. Did you do something to your hair?" he asked.

Pansy gave him a small, lopsided grin and said, "I'm pregnant too."

"Congratulations Pansy. I'm very glad for you," he answered, giving her a small smile of his own. "Hermione, do you have any idea how to get ourselves out of this?"

Hermione had this thoughtful look on her face as she looked at the potions cabinet. She stood up and surveyed the different potions available. "How's your potions knowledge? I'm a bit rusty," she said.

"My potions memory is passable. What do you have in mind?" Draco asked.

Hermione took down some of the potions bottle and explained to them that with the potions that were available in the storeroom, they could create a diversion and use the sleeping potions to knock the Death Eaters out.

"Umm….I have a few swords and weapons in my office if it would help," Pansy said quietly. All heads turned to her at once and Pansy smiled sheepishly before continuing, "Harry made sure that I got some training on how to use them and that I had a few in the house and the office just in case anything happens."

"Ok then. We'll go to Pansy's office first to get the weapons then we decide what to do next," Draco said. "Hermione, put a glamour spell on me as Lucius. I'll go get the weapons. All of you stay here ok."

Hermione cast the spell on Draco and his features blurred slightly before reforming into Lucius' face. Draco inspected his 'face' in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. He put on the Death Eater robes and stood at the door looking at Ginny one last time.

"Draco, you better come back safe, you hear?" Ginny whispered in his ear, hugging him close.

"I will honey," he whispered back. Draco stepped out of the storeroom and made his way to Pansy's office. He managed to get into the office without any problems. He opened the trunk at the back of the office and whistled. There was a very good selection of daggers, throwing knives and a few swords. There was even a bow and a quiver of arrows and all of the weapons were well made and of the highest quality. _Pansy sure knows her weapons_, Draco thought. He grabbed as many weapons as he could and quickly exited the room.

As he was coming out of the room, he backed into some one. Thinking that it was a lowly Death Eater, he whipped about ready to lambaste the poor soul but he found himself face-to-face with his father. Both men circled each other warily before the real Lucius said, "Who are you and how DARE you impersonate me?"

Draco let the glamour charm fall and sneered at his father, "Hello Lucius."

"Draco, I didn't expect you to be here," Lucius replied, his grip on his wand tightening.

"You've always underestimated me Lucius and that was your mistake."

"A mistake that I intend to rectify. _Crucio_! " Lucius screamed.

As the curse hurtled towards him, Draco whipped out the sword that he'd taken from Pansy's office and deftly deflected the curse, sending it back towards his father. Lucius jumped aside as the curse skimmed past him. Lucius rapidly fired shot after shot of hexes and curses towards Draco but the younger man just deflected it with his sword. One of the deflected hexes hit Lucius squarely in the chest, sending him flying backwards and landing on his back.

"Curse your reflexes," said Lucius through gritted teeth.

"I wasn't a seeker for nothing," Draco said as he walked towards his father, swinging the sword menacingly.

Once he was standing over his father, Draco swung his sword, aiming for Lucius' neck but Lucius blocked the move with a sword of his own. He had transfigured his own wand into a sword when he saw Draco swinging his sword towards him. The sudden appearance of Lucius' sword caught Draco by a surprise, causing him to loosen his grip on his sword slightly. Lucius pushed Draco back with his sword, causing the younger man to fall back but fortunately, Draco recovered from the shock quickly and regained his balance. The sword fight started up again with both Malfoy men evenly matched.

The sounds of clashing swords rang through out the corridor, catching the women's attention. Ginny cracked open the door and was in time so see Lucius kicking Draco in the chest, sending the younger man backwards. Disregarding her safety, Ginny threw open the door and ran over to her husband. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and his blood from his wounds on his chest seeped through his shirt, staining it dark red.

"Ginny, get back inside," Draco rasped as he struggled to sit up. Ginny wrapped her arms around him and helped him to sit up. The couple looked up as they heard footsteps coming towards them. Draco secretly placed a dagger in her hand, knowing in his gut that Lucius would try something.

"So THIS is your whore," Lucius said, leering at Ginny. "You've got looks, for Weasley. I'm going to have so much fun with her before I kill you." Lucius walked over to the couple and kicked Draco in the chest. Ginny was too shocked and afraid to fight back when Lucius wrapped her hair around his fist and pulled her up. He held Ginny against him with the sword against her throat and smirked at his son.

"Ginny," Draco whispered.

Ginny struggled against Lucius' grip but that only succeeded in nicking her neck against the sword. She could feel her blood slick on her neck. She looked at Draco who was struggling to his feet and saw that his wounds still bleeding sluggishly. She clenched her fists tightly to prevent herself from whimpering with fear and found that she was holding something very hard in her right hand. Having just realised that she was still holding on to a small dagger that Draco had pressed into her hand, she put it to good use. Ginny plunged the blade into Lucius' thigh and twisted it clockwise to prevent the wound from closing. Lucius screamed and flung Ginny aside against the wall, grasping his wounded thigh that was bleeding profusely.

"GINNY!" Draco, Pansy and Hermione screamed in unison.

While Pansy and Hermione rushed towards Ginny to check on her, Draco tackled Lucius to the ground and started pounding on him. Hermione lifted Ginny's head and rested it on her lap as Pansy checked Ginny's pulse and bones. "Ginny, Ginny can you hear me? Are you in pain?" Pansy asked when Ginny groaned softly.

"Hurts a lot," Ginny managed to whisper out as a wave of pain passed through the lower half of her body.

"Her water bag broke! I think she's having the baby now!" Pansy said when she realised that there was a pool of water around Ginny's legs. She turned around to tell Draco about Ginny's condition, only in time to see Draco plunging his sward into Lucius' neck. The older man pressed his hands to his bleeding throat and fell to his knees before pitching forward, lifeless. Draco wiped his bloody sword against the dead man's robes and walked back to the where Ginny was lying.

"Ginny, honey, I'm here," Draco whispered to her as he took over Hermione's position, placing Ginny's head on his lap.

"Draco, she's having the baby now and the hospital is still under lockdown and all the birthing rooms are protected," Pansy told him. "If help doesn't come soon, she's going to have the baby right here."

Before Draco could say anything to Pansy, Hermione said, "Someone's coming!"

The group heard footsteps and words like 'the Dark Lord' and 'Potter's woman', identifying them as Death Eaters.

"Pansy, I think the baby's coming really soon," Ginny whispered.

"Hang on Ginny, everything's going to be ok," Pansy said to her. Turning to Hermione she said, "Do you still have the sleep drought vials with you? I want you to throw it at their feet. It'll break and the fumes will knock them out for a while. I need you to go back into the storeroom to get some clean blankets and the medical kit. She's too far into the labour to carry her into the storeroom. You ok with the plan?"

Hermione nodded and held the vials in her hands, getting ready to toss them. The moment she saw a few of the Death Eaters coming around the corner, she threw the vials towards them. The vials broke into a cloud of purple smoke. Hermione ran to the storeroom and picked up all the things that Pansy needed. When she got back to the others, she was just in time to throw up a blue shield of power around them as another group of Death Eaters came towards them from the other direction. The Death Eaters threw curses and hexes at the power shield but it all rebounded on them or the shield absorbed the curses, strengthening the shield.

"Good job on the shield," Draco said suitably impressed.

"Well, Ron taught me that one, just in case our house got attacked while he was away. It'll only last for about fifteen minutes before I need to cast another one but hopefully help would arrive before then," said Hermione.

"Hopefully," Draco said softly as he caressed Ginny's cheek as she gasped in between contractions.

As the Death Eaters continued to throw hexes against the blue bubble, Ginny screamed as another contraction hit her. Hermione conjured ice chips for her to chew on while Pansy checked on the progress of her dilation. Draco wiped Ginny's sweaty brow with some cool water and whispered encouragements into her ear.

"You're ready. The baby's going to come real soon," Pansy said. "Ginny, love, you've got to push when I tell you is that alright?"

Ginny could only nod her head as another contraction passed through her. As Pansy was about tell Ginny to push, the bubble shield started to flicker and drop away. Hermione quickly cast another shield up just in time before the Death Eaters could throw another hex at them.

"Ginny, I need you to push ok? 1….. 2…. 3….. Push!" Pansy said.

As everyone within the bubble shield got caught up with the birth of Ginny's baby, no one noticed a team of Ministry troops led by Harry, rounded the corner and engaged the Death Eaters in a fight.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review and tell me what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Another chapter yet again. Before I go on with the story, I want to thank my mom for the details regarding pregnant woman and my significant other for some of the ideas he provided. Thanks! Now read and review. Tell me what you think!_

**A Simple Gold Band**

Chapter 7

Harry, Ron and Blaise were at the Ministry command centre when they received word that St Mungo's was under attack, trapping Ginny, Hermione and Pansy in there. As Harry's team was about to leave, the door of the Ministry exploded and a group of Death Eaters rushed in, wands blazing. During the fight, a message from Dumbledore arrived, informing them that Hogwart's was also under attack.

"Harry! Ron! Both of you go ahead, my team and I'll take care of things here," Blaise shouted to the two men. He saw both of them look up and nod in his direction before gathering their team and rushing off towards the floo network and apparation points. After the two teams left, Blaise stood up from the fallen body of the Death Eater he was fighting and looked around. Even though the Aurors were outnumbered 5 to 1, the Death Eaters were not match for them. Bodies of Death Eaters and a few fallen Aurors littered the lobby of Ministry as the rest of Blaise's team rounded up the remaining Death Eaters.

"Bring one of them to the interrogation room," Blaise commanded. "We need to find out if they're planning anything else."

After giving the Death Eater some Veritaserum, Blaise swore a blue streak when he found out Voldermort's plan to divide and conquer with a three-prong attack. He needed to round up as many soldiers he could to give Ron and Harry some back up. Blaise gathered as many available, uninjured men without leaving the Ministry defenceless, and split them into two groups, one to Hogwarts and the other to St Mungo's. Blaise led the team to Hogwarts to the apparition points and held out a portkey. Once it was activated and they felt the familiar tugging at their navel, Blaise and his team found themselves at Hogsmeade, right in the middle of a battle.

Harry stepped out of the floo network in the visitor area, covered in blood, most of them not his. The gash on his forehead was still bleeding slightly, trickling blood into his eyes. Blood matted his hair, his uniform was torn and he walked with a slightly limp from falling awkwardly on his knee after diving to the right to escape from a very nasty hex. The group of soldiers that were under his command were also in similar conditions, with cuts and scratches on their faces and bodies.

Unsheathing his sword, he signalled to his men to break into three groups to search for Death Eaters. Leading one group to the maternity level in search of Pansy, he instructed the other two teams to meet them there after disposing of as many Death Eaters they could find. Once the three groups went their separate ways, Harry and his team crept quietly up the stairs and as he came to the corridor to Pansy's office, he heard the Death Eaters cursing. Harry popped his head around the corner and saw a dozen or so Death Eaters flinging hexes and curses against a largish, blue shield that he recognised as a protective spell that Ron had taught Hermione to protect herself. Feeling slightly relieved that the women were safe for the time being; Harry turned to his men and told them of what he had seen. After formulating a plan, Harry nodded to them and everyone took their positions. With their wands and swords drawn, Harry and his men attacked the Death Eaters, the element of surprise on their side.

Harry took on four Death Eaters at once, killing them with ease. As he turned around to monitor the situation, a kick landed squarely on his chest, sending him face first onto the blue shield. The sight before him made him gasp in surprise. Within the bubble, Ginny was lying down with her head on a man who looked strangely like Draco. Hermione sat by her side, holding to her left hand while Pansy sat between her legs. He didn't understand why Ginny's face contorted in pain until he saw a head popping out from between her legs.

_Oh God!__ She's having a baby now_, he thought. _Such bad timing_.

The knowledge that the safety of the people he cared about was in jeopardy, fuelled his waning strength and anger. Harry whipped around and fought the Death Eaters with renewed vengeance, so that his wife and his unborn child will be safe.

* * *

When Hermione heard something crashing into the shield, Hermione didn't take any notice since she thought it was just another hex thrown by the Death Eaters but something told her to turn and take a look. When she turned, she gasped.

"Harry! He's here," she told Pansy.

"I know. I felt him the moment he set foot in the hospital," Pansy answered. Pansy looked up to Ginny and said," Ok Ginny, I've got the baby's head. You've got to push some more ok?"

Ginny gritted her teeth and nodded. At Pansy's signal, Ginny pushed as hard as she could. After another forty-five minutes of pushing and pain, Pansy finally announced, "It's a girl! You have a daughter!"

Ginny smiled tiredly and looking up, she saw that Draco was smiling with tears in his eyes. Pansy bundled the baby up and put a warming charm on the blankets before passing her to her awaiting parents. Pansy smiled at the new family with happy tears in her eyes, hoping that one day that her own family would be just as happy. Pansy cleared up the after birth and made sure that Ginny was all right just as the shield dropped. Hermione was ready to cast another one but when she looking around; all the Death Eaters either were dead or taken captive. She saw Harry jog over to them, dropped down in front of Pansy and gathered her into his arms.

"Pansy, are you okay? You're not hurt or anything right?" he said softly. "I was so worried about you."

"No Harry, I'm fine, especially now that you're here," Pansy replied, hugging him close. Harry kissed her lips gently before turning to face Ginny and Draco.

"Malfoy, is that you under all that facial hair and Death Eater's robes?" Harry asked smiling widely at him. "And who is this beautiful newcomer?"

Draco just smirked at him and said, "I didn't know you cared Potter." Caressing his daughter's cheeks, Draco said softly, "This is our daughter, Nadira. Isn't she beautiful?"

"Yes she is, Malfoy. Congratulations."

Harry gave Hermione a big hug and told her not to worry about Ron. Just as they ended the hug, one of Harry's men came up and informed him that the hospital is secured and Death Eater-free.

"Now that the hospital lock-down is over, let's get the new mother and baby into a ward so that they can rest. Draco, you need a shower and a shave," Pansy said, standing up with Harry's help.

Half an hour later, Ginny lay comfortably in bed, feeding Nadira while she waited for Draco to finish his shower. Hermione had gone back to The Burrow to tell Molly about the new baby. Burping her daughter against her shoulder, Ginny looked up and watched Draco coming out of the bathroom dressed in Harry's extra uniform. He was clean-shaven and he had cut hair short again, looking much as he did before he went missing. He sat down beside her bed and smiled at his small family. _A family of my own, I can't believe it_, he thought. His heart filled with so much love for them that he thought it would burst.

"Honey, can you put her back into the crib please?" he heard Ginny say softly. Taking the baby from her arms, he nuzzled his daughter's fuzzy hair and kissed her forehead before placing her into the hospital issued crib. He turned around and smiled at his wife. She never looked more beautiful than she did now. As he walked back to her bed, he saw her scoot over and pat the spot beside her.

"Can you hold me please? I really miss you holding me," she said, giving him a small smile. Draco returned her smile and took off his shoes before getting in bed with her. Even though he knew that the War wasn't over and Voldermort was still out there, he didn't care. Tonight, all that mattered was he had his wife in his arms again and for the first time since his capture; he fell asleep peacefully.

_A/N: Finally updated. May suck, since I had major writer's block for this chapter. Sorry about that._


	8. Chapter 8

**A Simple Gold Band**

Chapter 8

Twelve hours after portkeying into Hogsmeade, Blaise and his men finally managed to break through the ranks of Death Eaters and made their way to Hogwarts. With their help, Ron and his men, the teachers and a few older students pushed the Death Eaters back into a retreat. The Death Eaters fell back to regroup and organise before attacking the school again. Ron and the teachers used that time to collect the injured and the dead back into the school. While the Head boy and girl made sure that all the other students were in the Great Hall, Ron and Blaise gathered in the Headmaster Dumbledore's office to discuss the next plan of action against the Death Eater attack. The rest of their men either were in the infirmary for treatment or patrolling the castle.

Both Ron and Blaise sat opposite the headmaster, waiting for him to say something. After waiting for ten minutes and not a peep from Dumbledore, Ron decided to take the lead.

"Headmaster, we need more back up. Even though the teachers and the older students held most of the Death Eaters at bay before we came but we don't know what they're planning now," Ron said.

"I know Ron but you know as well as I do the Ministry troops and the Order members are stretched thin especially after Voldermort launched the three-prong attack," Dumbledore said gravely, sounding and looking every bit of his 200 years.

"But it's just that…." Blaise started but couldn't vocalise what he was thinking.

"I understand that you don't want to see the school fall into enemy hands Blaise but the school can be rebuilt. It's the students' safety that's important."

"I understand sir."

"Good. Now, I think both of you should go down to the infirmary and get your wounds checked out," Dumbledore said, standing up from his chair.

Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, he waved casually at their torn, slashed uniforms that were stiff with blood. They had gone straight from carrying the injured and dead into the castle to Dumbledore's office. Both men looked down at their uniforms and identical looks of comprehension dawned on their faces. It was only then did they realise the various aches and pains all over their body since the after effects of an adrenaline rush had worn off. They nodded to the Headmaster and were about to leave when the door opened suddenly and a very nervous and worried looking Professor McGonagall rushed in carrying a crumpled piece of parchment.

"Headmaster, we have a problem. The student head count came up with one student short. We've search everywhere for her but to no avail. We were about to do another search when this came in," she said, passing the parchment to Dumbledore.

Blaise and Ron watched with apprehension as angry waves of power rolled off the Headmaster. Both men stepped back when Dumbledore looked up. Slamming the parchment onto the table, he walked towards the window muttering, "He's gone too far."

Blaise picked up the note and swore a blue streak when he read it:

_Dumbledore,_

_I'm__ sure by now you would realise that Miss Persephone Parkinson is missing. Poor Dumbledore, can't keep his students safe. If you want to see her in relative good health, get the Potter boy to meet me in a duel tomorrow evening. I'm sure his wife wouldn't be too happy with him if her little sister suffers a fate worse than death. So, hurry up old man because my Death Eaters are itching for some fun._

The note wasn't signed except for the image of the Dark Mark burnt at the bottom.

"Pansy's not going to be happy when she finds out that Voldie's got Fanny," Blaise said, handing the note to Ron so that he could read it.

"We need to tell Harry about this now. I think he's still at St Mungo's," Ron said, looking at the Headmaster.

"I will inform Harry as soon as possible. Both of you head down to the infirmary and get Poppy to patch you up," the Headmaster replied.

"Yes sir," said both men before leaving, accompanied by McGonagall.

Once he was alone, Dumbledore walked to the fireplace, threw in a handful of floo powder, and shouted, "St. Mungo's Hospital!"

* * *

Draco awoke from his slumber slowly. He saw that Ginny had her arms around his waist as she snuggled closer to his chest. He couldn't help but smile at the death grip she had of his waist, knowing full well that she missed him as much as he did her. He gently brushed her hair away from her face so that he could kiss her. Ginny stirred as Draco brushed his lips gently against her cheek. She blinked a few times to clear the sleep from her eyes and smiled when she saw her husband staring intently at her.

Tracing her finger along his jaw, she said, "Good morning my love."

"Good morning," he answered with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I ever had since you went missing."

"Ginny., I…."

Ginny's fingers on his lips halted his words. She shook her head and said, "All that is important to me is that you're here now, with me. With us."

"I love you Ginny," his voice cracked with emotion.

"I love you too Draco."

Draco kissed her lips gently and rested his forehead against hers. Just as Ginny was about to say something, the door cracked open and Harry popped his head in.

"Sorry to interrupt," Harry said. "Malfoy, can I talk to you a moment? Something just came up."

"Can this wait? Can't you see that I'm trying to spend some time with my wife?" Draco snapped.

"I don't think so. It's rather urgent." Harry gave Ginny an apologetic smile before closing the door. Draco shook his head in disgust and got out of bed. He put on his shoes and kissed his wife soundly before stepping out the door.

Ginny lay in bed waiting for Draco to come back but after waiting for twenty minutes and he still wasn't back, Ginny started to worry so she decided to wash up while she waited. It was only when one of the nurses brought Nadira to her did she found something else to occupy her mind off Draco's absence. Having some time alone with her daughter, Ginny counted all her fingers and toes, kissed her fuzzy hair and caressing her cheeks. Ginny was happily nursing her daughter when Draco stormed into the room and started pacing at the foot of her bed, muttering, "Damn Potter! Damn Dumbledore! Can't keep his students safe."

"Draco? Is everything alright?"

Draco stopped his pacing and rubbed his forehead wearily. He sat down beside is wife and brushed his fingers gently alog his daughters face. Ginny's brows furrowed with worry etched on her face.

"Ginny-love, I have to leave," he said softly.

"What? Why? You just came back! Why do you have to leave again?" Ginny asked, her eyes welling with tears.

"I wish I didn't have to go. I wish I could stay here with you and Nadira but Hogwarts need back up and Potter. I have to go Ginny."

"What's going on Draco?"

"Voldermort's got Pansy's sister Fanny and he threatened to torture her if Potter doesn't meet him in a duel this evening."

Ginny gasped in horror at the news. She knew how close Pansy and her sister were, especially after their parents murder at the command of Voldermort when Pansy refused to take the mark in 7th year.

"How did Pansy take the news?"

"She went limp and Potter had to carry her back to the Burrow."

Draco watched his wife and daughter together and felt his heart clench_. I must have done something right to be blessed with a beautiful wife who loves me as much as I love her and a perfect little girl created out of that love_, he thought. He leaned over and kissed Ginny lightly on the lips, causing her to smile and blush slightly. Draco returned her smile but Ginny saw that his smile didn't really reach his eyes. She also saw the worry in those wonderful pools of silver that she loved so much. As she was about to say something, the same nurse who brought Nadira to her, came in with her discharge papers for her to sign.

Within forty-five minutes, the Malfoy family were at the Burrow. While Molly fussed over the new addition, Draco led his wife up to her bedroom and tucked her in to bed so that she could rest. Bringing the blanket up to her waist, Ginny pulled Draco down beside her. She rested her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. They sat there in silence with their arms around each other, savouring the moment. A few minutes later, Molly came up to pass the sleeping baby to her parents. Draco took his daughter into his arms and sat back down beside Ginny. Rubbing his cheek against Nadira's hair, he smiled at Ginny and saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

"Ginny, Ginny please don't cry."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. You're going off to battle and I may never see you again," she cried, her tears spilling down her cheeks.

Draco quickly placed Nadira in her crib and sat back down. He gathered Ginny into his arms and stroked her back to help her calm down.

"Ginny-love, I promised you the last time that I'll come back to you and I did. I'm making you the same promise now. I WILL come back. Trust me?"

Ginny nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She pulled out a chain around her neck and two matching gold bands dangled in between her chest. Ginny took off the chain and fastened it around Draco's neck.

"Ginny aren't these our –"

"Yes they are. I've been wearing your ring along with mine on that chain since Harry brought it back. I want you to wear this as a good luck charm. It'll keep you safe so that you'll come back to us."

Draco looked down at the matching set of rings and gripped it in his right hand while his left held onto Ginny's. He leaned forward and kissed her lips gently. A knock on the door caused both of them to turn. The door opened slightly and Harry popped his head in, looking grave and serious.

"Malfoy, it's time to go."

"Ok, give me a minute and I'll meet you downstairs."

After Harry left, Draco turned back towards Ginny. He cupped her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Kissing her forehead, Draco whispered, "I love you Ginny."

"I love you too Draco."

Kissing her one last time, Draco got up and went out of the room without looking back. Ginny sat on her bed and looked out the window, not turning to see Draco leave. She heard him go downstairs and heard him talk to Harry before it all went silent. _He's taken the portkey_, she thought. Still staring out the window, she allowed her tears to fall.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm sorry for not updating soon. Too many things have been going on and I had a hard time sitting down to write the stories. I'll try to update the rest of my stories soon so please be patient. I love to hear what you think of the story so please read and review. : D

****

**A Simple Gold Band**

Chapter 9

Harry and Draco arrived at the front door of Hogwarts via portkey, at exactly 2pm. Two Ministry soldiers stood flabbergasted when they saw Draco walking with Harry. Everyone knew that Draco went missing but after three months of MIA, everyone had presumed him dead. Seeing him not only alive but looking relatively well, was a tremendous surprise. Draco waited aside; ignoring the two, gaping men as Harry asked them were the Headmaster was. Still gaping at Draco, they pointed vaguely in the direction of the Great Hall. After thanking the two men, Harry led the way to the Great Hall with Draco close behind.

The Great Hall was buzzing with activity. The Great Hall was turned into a makeshift infirmary with beds lined in rows throughout the Hall. Seventh year medi-students with some of the infantry medics bustled about to check on the various patients. Blaise and Ron sat, with their backs facing Harry and Draco, at the other end of the Hall.

Harry gave Ron shock by clasping him on the shoulder and saying, "Hey Ron!"

"Harry! I'm glad you're here!" Ron exclaimed. He stared at the person behind Harry, closed his eyes and shook his head before opening them again. "Malfoy? Malfoy is that you?" When he saw Draco smirked at him, he burst out laughing, "It IS you! So where have you been?"

While Draco told Ron about the attack and everything that went on at the hospital, a few rows to the right, Blaise was getting his hand bandaged when he heard Ron laughing. He could not believe his eyes; Draco was in uniform and standing not a few beds away from him. He got off the bed and walked over to them, much to the horror of his medic as his hand was still bleeding. His medic tried to pull him down back to the chair but Blaise just shrugged off her grip on him.

"Draco is that really you or am I just imagining things?" Blaise asked.

"No Zabini, it's me. It's not your imagination," Draco said, giving his best friend a one-armed, manly hug. "Now that you know that I'm really here, why don't you get that wound bandaged up before you medic starts to have a fit."

Blaise turned and smiled sheepishly at his medic who was tapping her foot impatiently. She roughly sat him down beside Ron and tied the bandage a little too tightly. When Blaise informed her that it was too tight, she just raised and eyebrow and walked away.

"She loves me alright," Blaise said, watching the blonde medic walk away. "She definitely loves me, she just won't admit it."

"Luna doesn't give you the time of day ever since you introduced yourself to her. What makes you think that she loves you?" Ron asked, looking at the Blaise's medic, who was his sister's best friend in school.

"THAT was Loony Luna Lovegood?" Draco asked incredulously. "She's definitely changed over the years. What's she doing here?"

"A month after you went missing, she was posted to our unit as the new medic after our old one was killed during an attack. Romeo over here has been trying to get her to agree to go on a date with him since she got posted in but she shot him down every single time," Harry laughed, slapping Blaise's shoulder.

Draco laughed as Blaise scowled at Harry but his laugh was cut short when one of the soldiers approached them, telling them the Headmaster requested their presence at his office. The four men trooped out of the makeshift medical centre and made their way to his office. When they entered the office, Draco was struck with how old Dumbledore looked. His eyes were dull and worried; the perpetual twinkle in them gone.

"Ah, Mr Malfoy. I'm glad you could join us. I know it must be hard for you to be here instead of with your wife and daughter. Come, come all of you. Please sit down," Dumbledore said, his voice raspy.

All four of them sat around the headmaster's table and the meeting began. After discussing and arguing for almost an hour, the four men left the office to brief their own men on the plan. At seven pm sharp, Harry stepped out of the school flanked by Ron, Draco and Blaise, with Luna following them, just in case as they did not know what Fanny's condition was, and made their way to the Forbidden Forest. Ron, Draco and Blaise, as well as a Luna with a floating stretcher, waited at the edge of the field in between the forest and the school while Harry continued walking and stopped in the middle of the field. A few moments later, three cloaked figures walked out of the forest. One continued walking towards Harry while the other two waited at the edge of the forest. Harry stood his ground, his hands poised over his wand holster as he watched the approaching figure. The cloaked person stopped a few feet a way from him and pushed back his hood. It took considerable control for Harry not to gasp and flinch at the sight before him. Even though he had seen how Voldermort's face, the red, slit eyes and serpent-like face still managed to disgust and shock Harry.

"I'm here. Now where is Fanny? Where's my sister?" Harry demanded.

Voldermort gave a signal to the two figures behind him, who disappeared into the forest and reappeared while later, dragging a limp person between them. As they came nearer, mush to his horror, Harry realised that it was actually his sister-in-law. It took all of Harry's will power not to kill Voldermort with his bare hands when he saw the state that Fanny was in. Her beautiful, long brown hair was cut very badly, most probably with a blade, the ends sticking up everywhere. Her face bloody and bruised, her left eye was swollen shut, her lip was split open, her uniform was torn and exposing the various cuts and bruises on her body, and there was blood all over her legs. _Please God, let her be alive_, Harry prayed silently.

"Here's you sssister," Voldermort hissed, smirking widely at him.

The two men dropped Fanny at his feet and went back to their position at the edge of the forest. Harry signalled to Blaise and Draco to come forward while he checked on Fanny. Knowing that the two men will cover him if Voldermort tried anything, he bent down and checked on her pulse. Harry let out sigh of relief when he felt a faint pulse at her neck. Harry nodded to both Blaise and Draco, who gently picked up the injured girl and carried her away where Luna was waiting.

"Help….Har...ry…" Fanny whispered so softly that both men could barely hear her.

"It's alright Fanny, just rest. We'll take care of it," Blaise said, his voice gentle but laced with fury at what the Death Eaters had done to her. They placed her gently into the stretcher and nodded towards Luna before walking back to where Ron was standing. Just as Blaise was about to walk away, Luna grabbed his hand. Blaise turned to look at Luna and was caught by surprised when she kissed him passionately.

"For luck," she said when the kiss ended and walked quickly back to the castle, floating Fanny behind her.

Blaise watched her one last time before running back to where Draco and Ron were standing. The three men watched Harry talking to Voldermort, waiting for his signal. They saw Harry unsheathed his sword, his stance ready for attack. All of sudden, a large number Death Eaters came rushing out of the forest. Blaise, Ron and Draco quickly took their swords out, ready for battle. Harry raised his wand and shot red sparks into the air, signalling the start of their plan. Blaise, Ron and Draco rushed forward, along with the rest of the Ministry soldiers, meeting the Death Eaters head on. From the corner of his eye, Draco saw Harry cast a shield, similar to what Hermione used at the hospital, around him so that his fight would only be between him and Voldermort, and would not be interrupted. Turning his attention back to the battlefield, Draco forgot about Harry as he concentrated on his opponent.

Within the shield, Harry and Voldermort circled each other warily, each assessing the other's weaknesses. Suddenly, Voldermort lunged towards Harry but Harry managed to side step him and evade Voldermort's sword. He countered every stroke from Voldermort's sword with one of his own. _He's a good swordfighter for someone his age_, Harry thought, wincing slightly, as the clanging of the two swords jarred his hands to the bone. Even though Harry had fought in many battles for the past seven years, since he was seventeen, Voldermort was by far the most skilled foe he had ever encountered.

He did not know how long he had been fighting Voldermort but his uniform was drenched with sweat and his arms were aching. His mind barely registered the blood oozing sluggishly from the wound on his arm or the sting of his salty sweat trickling into his cuts. Wiping his brow with the back of his hand, Harry stood up from the ground where he had landed after Voldermort kicked him in the chest. Harry looked up at his opponent and saw that the only sign that Voldermort was tired was his heavy breathing. He saw the red slits narrow slightly and knew that an attack was coming. Readying himself, Harry tightened his grip on his sword and waited. Just as he had anticipated, Voldermort rushed him, his sword aiming for Harry's neck. Harry ducked and slashed his sword across Voldermort's abdomen.

Voldermort stared at Harry, mouth agape with shock. He staggered back, his sword dropping form his limp fingers, as he held onto his bleeding stomach. Harry plunged his sword into Voldermort's heart and twisted it to inflict maximum pain and damage. Blood trickled from the sides of Voldermort's mouth, his red eyes wide with shock. Blood continued to gurgle out of his mouth as he slid off Harry's sword and fell dead at his feet. Harry let the shield fall so that the remaining Death Eaters could see the body of their master.

Using his sword, Harry neatly beheaded Voldermort and speared the head with his sword. Holding the sword up he shouted, "Death Eaters, this is what is left of you master. Surrender now or die!"

Seeing the bloody head of their master on the sword of The Boy-who-lived, the Death Eaters quickly surrendered, dropping their weapons to the ground. Taking out his wand, Harry set Voldermort's body on fire and stood there watching as the fire consumed the nightmare that had killed so many of his friends.

Harry looked up from the burning corpse and saw his men rounding up the Death Eaters while the medics were helping the wounded soldiers. He looked around for Ron, Draco and Blaise but could not find them. It was not until he heard Ron calling him from the edge of the forest that he saw them. Luna was leaning over someone, working frantically. He rushed over to them to where both Ron and Draco were helping Luna pressing bandages on Blaise's wound to stem the bleeding.

"Blaise, you've got to stay with me. If you die on me, how am I supposed to say yes the next time you ask me out for dinner? Just stay with me ok?" Luna said, working quickly with her wand and bandages.

"I….. knew you'll… _cough_….say yes," Blaise whispered, smiling a little as Luna tied off the bandages. Luna smiled appreciatively at Harry as he helped conjure a stretcher for her. Once they got Blaise to the school for immediate medical help, Harry, Ron and Draco got their own wounds patched up before going to the Headmaster's office to de-brief him on the battle.

What was supposed to be a fifteen-minute de-briefing turned into a full two-hour meeting as they had to inform the minister and their various superiors regarding the death of Voldermort. The head was shown as proof and by the time the meeting ended, the three men were ready to collapse into bed and not wake up for at least a week. Seeing how tired they were, Dumbledore dismissed them. It was a wonder that they could stagger down to the Great Hall when neither of them could keep their eyes open. Crashing face first into the nearest empty beds, the three of them slept like the dead.

The next morning, Draco woke up with a start. Looking at his watch, he realised that it was still very early; the sun had yet to rise. Wanting to surprise Ginny, Draco got out of bed, woke the still-sleeping Harry, and told him that he was going back to the Burrow. Harry waved him away and went back to sleep, too tired to go back to the Burrow with him. Before he left the infirmary, Draco decided to check on Blaise's condition. The previous night, Blaise's condition was too critical and he could not be moved to St. Mungo's as the move itself might kill him. Walking over to Blaise's bed, he saw Luna sitting by Blaise's bedside, holding on to his hand.

"How is he?" Draco asked.

"Stable. We're hoping to be able to transport him to St. Mungo's today," Luna replied, looking weary and worried.

"He'll make it, don't worry. Just the promise of you going out with him is enough to make him get better."

Luna gave him a tremulous smile as she went back to holding Blaise's hand. Leaving Luna to take care of his best friend, he walked over to where Fanny was treated. She looked so pale against the white sheets of the bed. Her body was swathed in bandages and medics would periodically check up on her. Not wanting to disturb her, Draco left the infirmary, thinking about Ginny and their daughter.

Draco walked across the school compound to the edge of the apparation wards. Crossing the boundary, he apparated right to the front of the Burrow. Knowing that Molly would already be awake, he walked to the back door, hoping to surprise her. Just as he expected, Molly was awake from the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. How ever, he did not even get a chance to knock on the door when it was wrenched open and he found himself hugged nearly to death by the Weasley matron.

"I saw your clock arm move to the Burrow as I was cooking," she said when she saw the surprised look on his face when she released him from her hug. "Ginny will be so happy to have you home. She's still asleep, so go on upstairs and surprise her." Draco gave her a very thankful smile and a hug before leaving the kitchen. Just as he was about to step upstairs, he heard Molly say, "Make sure you change out of that bloody uniform." Looking down at his blood-caked uniform, he totally agreed with her.

Quietly entering Ginny's bedroom, Draco closed the door and stripped out of his bloody clothes. Washing off the rest of the blood off his body in bathroom and making sure that all his bandages stayed dry, he put on a pair of pyjama bottoms and got under the covers. Gently pushing Ginny's hair away from her face, he woke his wife up with a kiss. Ginny opened her eyes to find her husband, smiling down at her.

"Draco, is that you?" she whispered, praying that it was not just her imagination; that her husband was back.

"It's me Ginny. I'm back," he replied, cupping her face gently. He bent down and brushed his lips against hers. Happy tears trickled down her face as Ginny responded to the kiss and wrapped her arms around him.

"I was afraid that I would never see you again. I am so glad you are back. I love you Draco. I love you so much."

"I promised you that I'll come back and I did. If I can help it, I don't ever want to leave you ever again." Draco unclasped the chain around his neck and took the two gold bands from it. He slipped the smaller one onto Ginny's finger and Ginny slipped the other onto his. Kissing Ginny one more time, he wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. A smile played on his lips as he drifted off to sleep in the arms of the woman he loves.


End file.
